Container



Sept. 14, 1937. P. Z-NADELSON CONTAINER 2 Sheets- -Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 8, 1933 WITNESS v/w S MNWH 0 N N 5 R m m E T W A N M P Pfl .Sept 14, 1937. P. NADELSON CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 8, 1935 IIII/I/II/IIII/I/III all/11,

Z8 7/]!III(II/IIIIIIIIIIIIII/IMIIIIIII RN m m; V WM t'Ak-s A TTOR/VEVIS' Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 8, 1933,. Serial No. 684,132 Renewed December 7, 1936 15 Claims. (Cl. 229-15) My invention relates to a container for packag- In the accompaying drawings, forming part of ing commodities, for instance, coffee, tobacco, and this specification, are illustrated three specific like materials, which would be adversely affected forms of my invention. In such drawings, Fig. 1 by contact with air. My invention, more paris a vertical section through the center of a flex-.

ticularly, contemplates the provision of a flexible ible container constructed in accordance with 5 container into which the material may be packed my invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of such conin an atmosphere-which is inert 'with respect to tainer, both such figures showing the container the material to be packed in such. container. with the material packed therein; Fig. 3 is a front An object of the invention therefore is to proview of a flexible container constructed in ac- 0 vide a container which is effective to retain the cordance with myinvention having a single comodor, flavor and consistency of the packaged partment for receiving the material to be packed; material. A further object of the invention is Fig. 4 shows the container'of Fig. 3 in a partially to provide a container which is hermetically collapsed condition after some of the material sealed so as to be gas-tight and moisture-proof, packed therein has been removed; Fig.5 shows and retains such characteristics so as to preserve a form of flexible container adapted to be 001- 1'5 the packed material in the same condition as that lapsed after removal of the contents thereof, and in which 'it was packaged until the contents of refilled; Figs. 6, 7, and 8 show various forms of such container are ready for removal .for condividing strip members which may be used as sumption. component parts of my novel container.

A further object of the invention is to provide Referring more particularly to the drawings, 20

a flexible container in which may be packed any in which similar reference characters identifysuitable materials in pre-weighed or otherwise similar parts in the several views, lllis atubing of accurately measured amounts or units, so that a flexible material having a degree of'resiliency, units of the packed material may be removed for instance, a cellulosic material, such asce1lo- .25 from the container in such accurately measured phane or similar material, and II, II are discs 2 amounts for individual use; Thus, my novel conof any moldable material, for instance, metal, tainer permits the packaging of various materials glass, composition, or condensation-product, the in individual compartments constituting the conperipheral edges of which may be rounded either tainer, so as to permit a choice of varied matein the course of manufacture of such discs or rials or ingredients in preparing a mixture .or thereafter into a form of bead I2, I2. The discs 30 blending of differently colored or flavored mate- I l are of somewhat larger external diameter than rials. the internal diameterof'the tubing l0. v A further object of my invention is to provide In accordance with the form of the invention a package in which specific amounts of a parillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the container is ticular material have been compressed and comdivided into a plurality of compartments by 5 pacted as the material was packaged. means of the discs ll, thereby segregating the A still further object of my invention is to propacked material into units which may be weighed vide a container which is capable of re-use and previous to packaging or otherwise divided into more particularly a container which, after the accurately measured units. In the course of 40 contents thereof have been removed for re-packpackaging the commodity into my novel flexible ing, may be collapsed andreturned in such colcontainer, the discs H, H are forced into position lapsed condition to the original shipper. within the tubing H), such tubing being stretched Broadly speaking, my invention comprises a over the peripheral edges of the discs H, i. e., over flexible container to receive a commodity, the the surfaces of the beads l2, and a. band 13 is commodity being packed in a tubing of a flexible, thereafter placed over the end or other discs. stretchable or resilient material, for instance, The band l3:is clamped in position'by means of cellophanef, the ends of the tubing being closed tongue M, which, after being passed through with strips of .a rigid material, such as metal, aperture IS in the portion of the band overlap-1., wood, gl ss. or composition, the strips being of ping the portion from which 'thetongue. l4 prosomewhat larger cross-sectional area thanthe jects, is bent over upon such overlapping portion, tubing- The Peripheris 0f th r ps forming as will be obvious from an inspection of Fig.2; the end closures of the container are in such close I have illustrated the lowermost disc, desigcontact with the tubing forming the container nated by the numeral I6 and forming the lower 'wall that a substantially air-tight sealing of the end closure of the container, as of slightly difpackage or container is obtained. ferent peripheral configuration than the discs ll. 55

Such lowermost disc l6 has its peripheral edge formed into a sinuous surface presenting two bead formations I], I8, having an annular groove ,or.depression' l9 therebetween, theedge of the ing to the disc 20. Any obvious expedient of connecting the ends of the wire element 2|, for instance, by twisting the ends of the wire element as at 22, may be employed.

The embodiment of my invention just described provides a flexible container having individual compartments or units of any desired number, the contents of which may be discharged from such units without disturbing the contents of the remaining compartments, so that the remaining portions of the packaged material are preserved in the same condition in which they were packed, i. e., hermetically sealed and therefore not subject to deterioration; for instance, by oxidation. The odor, flavor and consistency of the material in the various compartments are therefore retained until such time as the material is to be removed from the container for consumption or use. Such multiple unit container also makes possible the packaging of material in predetermined accurately measured quantities or may be used as an assembly of a variety of materials or commodities for mixing pre-weighed proportions of particular ingredients to be used in preparing a product, for instance, ice cream or fruit gelatine. A combination of various commodities or a blending of materials, for instance, a plurality of different flavors in one package, or a plurality of difi'erent colored ingredients for making up a paint mixture, may thus be obtained.

It is to be noted that the tubing material II], by reason of the fact that the diameter of the discs II is greater than the diameter of such tubing, is pressed against the surface of the beads l2 with such force as to yield a hermetic sealing of the individual compartments of the container.

The tubing l0 may obviously be made either seamed or seamless and may be made of any stretchable material or materials (where a multiple wall is desirable), including rubber. My

flexible-container will be found to be free from the danger of breakage and tearing, no special care having to be taken to obtain such a. close compressionof the tubing upon the beads l2 as to obtain a moisture-proof and gas-tight seal, as the difference in diameter of the discs and tubing will automatically bring about the necessary close contact between disc and wall.

As the packaging of the material into my flexible container is preferably carried out in an atmosphere of an inert gas, for instance, carbon dioxide, no air or similar oxidizing medium is permitted to enter the container with the packaged material, if it is desired to exclude air or such oxidizing medium from within the container.

The discs It may be made of any material, including metal, wood, glass, etc., so long as such discs may be provided with the typical edge illustrated, either rounded so as to form the bead l2 or to present the grooved peripheral edge to receive the banding element. The binding strip l3 may be transversely corrugated at intervals so as to permit the escape of any gases that may be generated within the container, in which case the tubing will be found to yield sufliciently from the disc wall, but will prevent ingress of air, by reason of the fact that there is sufficient suction present to'pull the flexible tubing back upon the surface of the beaded edge of the discs after escape of such generated gases, whereas, in ordinary containers, lowered temperature would suck air in.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, Lhave shown a flexible container comprising a single compartment in which the sides of the container are formed by tubing I0 of the same material and composition as that of the tubing of the embodiment of the multiple type container shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The disc I 6 forming the lower closure of the container of this embodiment may be similar to that forming the lowermost disc of the multiple compartment container, the upper end of the single compartment container being formed of a disc,23 of like material but having a screw cap type of opening in the center thereof the neck portion .24

thereof being integral with the remaining portion of the disc 23. A closure cap 25, having a washer 26, is used to complete the closure structure. Obviously, other types of opening and closure may be employed;

The primary advantage of the container shown in Figs. 3 and '4 lies in the fact that as quantitles of the packaged material are removed from the container, the latter is collapsed so as to bring it to a size just sufficient to retain the remaining contents and thereby" prevent the deterioration of the remaining material, for in-' stance, by oxidation. .1 am thus enabled to obtain an automatic sealing of-the container and a reduction of the volume thereof to precisely that necessary for retaining its contents with a minimum of contamination with air. Of course, the collapsing of the container should be carried out with the cap 25 loose thereon until the size of the container is just sufiicient to retain the remaining material, the cap 25 being tightened when the container has been sufliciently collapsed.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, I have illustrated a flexible container constructed in accordance with my invention which is adapted for re-use, i. e.,

re-filling by the wholesaler or shipper after the contents thereof have been removed and repacked by a jobber or retailer into containers of smaller capacity, for instance, such as shown in the two previous tion.

The container of Fig. 5 is intended to take the place of large bags or sacks, barrels, casks, etc., such, for instance, as are used for the shipment of spices to. jobbers and retailers, the latter selling the contents of such container either directly therefrom or re-packing the material into smaller containers. ,The flexible container of this embodiment of my invention, as shown, comprises a tubing wall 21 of a viscose or cellulosic material, surrounded by a tubing of a fabric material 28, and having an outer tubing of a moistureproof material, for instance, rubber. The strucembodiments of my inventure of the disc forming the bottom end of the side of, the container. These valves are employed in the operation of filling the container in the following manner: The caps 32 and 34 are removed and a pipe is inserted into one of the depending nozzles 3| or 33, the pipe extending close to the bottom of the container. A second pipe extending slightly below the top disc of the container is then inserted into the other of saidnozzles with a lead tube extending from such pipe to a .vessel containing lime water. The first pipe is used for the pumping of an inert gas, such as carbon dioxide, into the bottom of ,the container, the air from the container being exhausted by being displaced upwardly by the fiow of the inert gas into the container. ,As soon as all the air-has been exhausted, carbon dioxide will begin to flow through the lead tube within the shorter pipe into the vessel containing the lime water. When the lime water becomes cloudy, complete displacement of the air from the container has taken place and material may then be packed into the container through the central opening 24. I have not illustrated the pipe structure just described as it forms no part of my present invention. When the packing of the material has been completed, the caps 32 and 34 are screwed in position and the cap 25 screwed in position over the opening 24. The container with the material packed therein ,is shipped to the jobber or retailer who may then dispense the material from the container or repack the same into smaller individual containers, such as illustrated in Figs. 1-4. When all of the packaged material has thus been dispensed, the

container may be collapsed and returned in such collapsed condition to the original shipper for reuse by him in the shipment of a new supply of the commodity.

'While I have illustrated this embodiment of my fiexible container as having a wall comprised of cellophane, fabric and rubber, any combination of such materials or a single material may be used for the wall. The sealing of the wall material upon the discs forming thetwo ends of the container may be accomplished in any manner illustrated in the various embodiments of my invention. Thus, instead of using the wire element 2i as a binding strip, a band, such as [3, of the embodiment of my invention of Figs. 1 and 2, may be employed.

In Figs. 6, '7', and 8, I have illustrated various forms of disc members having peripheries of different configuration. For instance, in Fig. 6,

the disc may be formed with a periphery having a plurality of beads 35 forminggrooves 36 into which may fit a plurality of binding wires such as 2|. In Fig. 7, I have illustrated a disc having a single curved peripheral-surface 31 which may be .used in place of discs ll intermediate the two end discs of my novel container. In Fig. 8, I have illustrated an intermediate disc having two heads 38 forming a groove 39 for receiving the binding strip.- The binding wire or strips are notessential at all places, a greater difference in the respective diameters of discs and wall resulting in an increasedseal at their contact lines.

While I have illustrated the various embodiments of my invention as comprising containers of substantially circular cross-section, it is obvious that myinvention is applicable to containers ofany cross-section, for instance, oval, semioval, or rectangular. Also, while I' have de scribed specific embodiments of my invention, it

'is obvious that various modifications therein,

particularly .in the construction and configuration' of specific elements, may be made without departing from my invention.

I claim: 1. A container comprising a tubing of resilient -materialand a plurality of strips of rigid material positioned within said tubing transversely thereof and dividing saidtubing into a plurality of compartments, the cross-sectional area of said strips being greater than the normal cross-sectional area of said tube at the point of dontact of said strips with said tubing, whereby the strips are self-seated by the stretching of the tube material at thepoints of contact of the strips with said tube material.

2. A container comprising a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of substantially rigid discs positioned withinsaid tubing transversely thereof and dividing said tubing intoa plurality of compartments, the diameter of each of said discs being greater than the normal diameter of said tubing at the point of contact of said discs with said tubing, whereby the strips are self-seated by the stretching of the tube material at the points of .contact of the strips with said tube material.

. 3. A package comprising a container built up of a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of rigid dividing strips positioned within said tubing transversely thereof, the cross-sectional area of each of said strips being greater than the normal cross-sectional area of said tubing at the point of contact of said strips with said tubing whereby the strips are self-seated by the stretching of the tube material at the points of contact of the strips with said tube material, and the packaged material, the latter being capable of re-' the stretching of the tubematerial at the points of contact of the strips withsaid tube material,

and the packaged material, the latter being capable of removal from the container in individual units into which the packaged material has been I divided bysaid rigid discs.

'5. A containercomprising a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of strips of rigid material positioned within said tubing transversely thereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the cross-sectional areas of said strips being greater-than the normal crosssectional area of said tube at the point of con tact of said strips with said tube, said strips having a rounded periphery for effecting a gas-tight sealing of said tubing about the peripheral edges of said strips.

6. A container comprising a tubing of resilient material and a plurality of substantially rigid discs positioned within said tubing transversely thereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the diameter of each of said discs being greater than the normal diameter of said tubing at the point of contact of said discs with said tubing, said discs having a rounded periphery for effecting a gas-tight sealing of said tubing about the peripheral edgesof said discs.

'7; A container comprisinga tubing of resilient material and a plurality of stripsof rigid matethereof and dividing said tubing into a plurality of compartments, the cross-sectional areas of said strips being greater than the normal cross-- sectional area of said tube at the point of contact of said strips with said tube, the peripheral edges of said strips being formed into a bead.

8. A container comprising a tubing of resilientmaterial, a plurality of strips of rigid material within said tubing and extending transversely thereof, a rigid strip constituting one end of the container and having a rounded periphery, a second rigid strip constituting the other end of the container, the tubing overlying said end strips, and a band surrounding the peripheral edges of said end strips clamping said tubing upon said peripheral edges, said container being collapsible longitudinally.

.' 9. A container comprising a tubing of resilient material, a plurality of discs of rigid material within said tubing and extending transversely thereof, a rigid disc constituting one end of the container and having a rounded periphery, a second rigid disc constituting the other end of the container, the tubing overlying said end discs, and a band surrounding the peripheral edges of said end discs clamping said tubing upon said peripheral edges, said container being collapsible longitudinally. a

10. A container as claimed in claim 9 in which the peripheral edges of the rigid strips are formed with a plurality of beads having a groove therebetween adapted to receive the band. 11. A collapsible container comprising a tubing of resilient and flexible material, a strip of rigid material constituting one end closure of-said tubing, and a second strip oi rigid material constituting the other end closure of said tubing, one of said strips being provided with an opening and rial positioned within said tubing transversely cooperating closure element, said strips having a larger cross-sectional area than that of said tubing at the point of contact of said strips with said tubing, said container being collapsible longitudinally;

'12. A package comprising a longitudinally colconstituting one end closure of said tube, and a second stripv of rigidmaterial constituting the other end closure of said tube, one of said strips being provided with an opening and cooperating closure element, said strips having a larger crosssectional area than that of said tube at the point of contact of said strips with said tube, said container being collapsible longitudinally, and in which the peripheral edges of the strips are round ed so as to receive the tubing and effect a gas-tight sealing thereof about the edges of said strips.

15. A container comprising a flexible tubing, a strip of rigid material of larger cross-sectional area than that of the tubing at the point of contact of said strip with said tubing and constituting one end closure of said tubing, and a second strip of rigid material of like area having a plurality of openings therein and constituting the other-end closure of said tubing, said container being collapsible longitudinally.

PHILIP NADELSON. 

